GOP "caught in a crossfire between Democrats" and Limbaugh

[ClarkUSA]

Still smarting from consecutive electoral drubbings, Republicans now find themselves caught in a crossfire between Democrats pressuring them to denounce the conservative talk radio host's bombastic criticism of a popular new
president and his own denunciations of their party as an embarrassment.

The ongoing controversy over Limbaugh's statement in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday that he wants "Barack Obama to fail" and the aggressive Democratic pushback it drew has emerged as the latest challenge for a party struggling to find its voice and lacking an obvious national leader.

Few Republicans are eager to alienate Limbaugh's millions of avid listeners. But as party officials work to expand their shrinking coalition, they are also vexed about how to contend with his more pointed commentaries on hot-button issues and a president whom most in the party have been reluctant to criticize...Democrats continued to mock Steele for buckling to Limbaugh yesterday, maintained their insistence that Limbaugh is the GOP's de facto leader, and said they planned no letup in their attacks. The White House and the Democratic National Committee have been coordinating their response, and liberal interest groups are planning to expand their television ads highlighting Limbaugh's comments in the days ahead.

"Rush is the bloated face and drug-addled voice of the Republican Party," said Paul Begala, a longtime Democratic strategist who rose to prominence during Bill Clinton's presidency. "Along with lots of others, I intend to continue to turn up the heat until every alleged Republican either endorses or renounces Rush's statement that he hopes our president fails.".... Republicans have argued that Limbaugh's style is counter-productive... David Frum, who was a speechwriter for George W. Bush and helped coin the phrase the "axis of evil," wrote on his Web site NewMajority.com that "nothing Steele said will be 1/1000 as harmful to Republicans and conservatives as Rush Limbaugh's now multiply repeated statement that he hopes President Obama fails."... One state GOP chairman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to criticize Limbaugh publicly, said "he is the leader of a niche of the Republican Party that simply opposes anything a Democrat ever comes up with."

Keep up yer yappin', Rush! With record high approval ratings for President Obama and the Democratic Party -- versus record-low approval ratings for the Republican Party, we should clean up in 2010.